PALO ALTO, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 25: Palo Alto's Annika Shah (23) cheers for her team from the bench during their game against Carlmont in the third quarter of their Central Coast Section Division I girls basketball quarterfinals game at Palo Alto High School in Palo Alto, Calif., on Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2020. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)

PALO ALTO, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 25: Palo Alto's Itzel Torres (22) reaches for a rebound against Carlmont's Gaby Pierce (22) in the second quarter of their Central Coast Section Division I girls basketball quarterfinals game at Palo Alto High School in Palo Alto, Calif., on Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2020. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)

Surprise: Unseeded Gunn stuns Valley Christian

Gunn coach Brandynn Williams didn’t know what to expect when the Central Coast Section playoffs began last week.

He gathered his young team beforehand and told them, “We played 24 games. Let’s really learn from the last 24 and do the complete opposite.”

Williams laughed Tuesday night when he shared that story.

Why not?

In the eyes of the selection committee, Gunn wasn’t strong enough even to be seeded. Now, the Titans are one win from reaching the Division II final after stunning the West Catholic Athletic League’s Valley Christian — seeded third — 74-58 behind 25 points from Gavin Kitch.

During the regular season, Gunn went 10-14 overall and 6-6 in the weaker of the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League’s two divisions.

In the playoffs, the Titans have beaten No. 11 San Mateo, No. 6 Leland and now Valley Christian — all on the road.

In the semifinals Thursday, Gunn will return home to play No. 7 seed Christopher, which upset second-seeded Santa Clara 43-37 on Tuesday.

“The guys are really buying in defensively,” Williams said. “When you have a young team, they’re going to be like, ‘We need to work on offensive plays. But no one talks about defense. No one’s talking about blocking out. No one’s talking about charges.”

Once the playoffs started, it all clicked. Williams’ players could see what he’s been preaching.

“We’re on a little roll right now,” he said.

More Gunn: Kitching fire at the right time

Williams couldn’t say enough about the performance Kitch delivered Tuesday. He was 9 for 11 shooting, made his only 3-point attempt and was 6 of 7 from the free-throw line.

“Gavin Kitch played the best game I have ever seen him play,” Williams said. “I’ve been coaching him since he was a fifth-grader. I’ve known him since he was a baby. I have known the family for years. He really just balled out.”

What did Williams expect Tuesday, given that Valley went 1-13 in the WCAL but was 8-2 against everyone else going into the quarterfinal?

“I am always nervous with West Catholics,” he said. “I don’t really look at their records. Valley Christian has won multiple CCS titles since I have been coaching at Gunn, and they have never had a great, winning record in league. But that league is ridiculous, so I definitely understand it. They’re a good team. Young like us. With a young team, you kind of don’t know what you’re going to get.”

Unexpected semifinals in Division I boys bracket

No. 2 Los Altos, No. 3 Evergreen Valley and No. 4 Piedmont Hills each fell victim at home to lower seeds that can qualify for next week’s CIF NorCal playoffs with a win in Thursday’s semifinals at Fremont-Sunnyvale.

Palo Alto girls pitch third-quarter shutout vs. Carlmont

Eight-seeded Carlmont felt good at halftime of its CCS Division I girls basketball quarterfinal at No. 1 seed Palo Alto.

After a slow start, the Scots managed to get within five points heading into the locker room.

But in the third quarter, the lid on the basket closed shut, as Palo Alto didn’t allow a point over the entire eight minutes en route to a 63-35 rout.

“I used two or three timeouts in that period to try and stem the tide, but at that point we just couldn’t hit any shots,” Carlmont coach Dan Mori said. “Obviously that was the game right there in the third period.”

Paly (17-7) only managed five points over 5½ minutes after intermission but finished strong to outscore its opponent 20-0 in the third period.

“We didn’t foul in the third quarter,” Paly coach Scott Peters said. “We didn’t put them in the line, either, which helped them a lot in the first half. We just got down and played solid D. And once they couldn’t score, it became harder for them to score in that third quarter.”

Youth movement at Paly continues

Without any seniors on its roster, Paly got key contributions not only from a pair of juniors — Elif Turgut and Carly Martin with 17 and 14 points, respectively — but a freshman duo in Itzel Torres and Kaella Peters with 13 and nine points, respectively.

“(The freshmen) may attach more significance to it and we’ve just got to tell them to relax and play their game,” Peters said. “But that’s hard to say to a 14-year-old or a freshman to relax because it’s new. I think next year will be a lot easier. Hopefully, the next game will be easier.”

Darren Sabedra is a sports reporter and the high school sports editor, overseeing prep coverage throughout the Bay Area. He's been with the Bay Area News Group since the early 1990s and has covered many sports beats, including Stanford football and basketball, pro baseball and the NFL.

Vytas Mazeika is a prep sports reporter for the Bay Area News Group. He covers athletics at every level, from high school to Stanford to the pros. Mazeika graduated from Carlmont High in 1994 and earned an English bachelor's degree from UCLA.